Tenets of War

by Beth Reason

  Chapter 19

  Scarab leaned against the side of a building and wiped her sleeve across her sweaty brow. Summer was moving in quickly and the air was hot and humid. She removed the canteen from her belt and took a long swig, watching the group of mechanical harvesters move slowly over the corn fields in the distance. She looked up at the sun and judged that it was about noon. She and her team would have to rest soon. The afternoon sun would make their travel dangerous.

  "There are caves past this sector. We'll bunk there for a few hours."

  Kenti nodded. He was the leader of the extraction team and the only one whose name Scarab bothered to learn. As soon as she left the bunker in the mountain, she was a hunter again. She closed off her feelings and her worries and concentrated on the mission. It was easier than she thought, as long as she made a point of not getting chummy with the people helping her. If she could have gotten things done without speaking at all, she would have. Since that was impossible, she had to settle for speaking only with the leader. If any of the soldiers minded, they never said. In fact, they were a fast, efficient, quiet bunch, which annoyingly endeared them to her. Maybe once the mission was done she would discover more about them.

  Kenti was pleased to let Scarab take the lead. They traveled as bounty hunters. It was risky, but smart. Scarab's reputation was almost legendary in the outlying towns of hunters, outlaws, and other seedy residents of Southland the government tended to ignore. Her name alone had gotten them supplies and information in those places. When they began to get into the farming lands, with more respectable citizens, they decided to keep up the appearance of being bounty hunters. The average, law abiding farmer didn't dare look at a hunter closely. They kept their heads down and went about their lives, determined to pretend outlaws and those who chased them were nothing more than myths. While Kenti wondered how long they could keep up the ruse, Scarab seemed determined to waltz right into the Bradwin estates as the bounty hunter she was.

  "I'm smart," she had told him when he suggested they all change into the Southland middle class garb he had. "They know I'm smart. There's no way in hell I'd dare walk in there like a hunter. If they expect me at all, they are expecting me in disguise. It's getting to Summer. The closer we get, the more bounty hunters you'll see in the population centers, gearing up for the huge influx of hunting jobs around migration."

  Kenti hadn't been convinced. "Or maybe they'll know you're a brazen bitch who's too cocky to try and pretend to be anything else."

  Scarab knew she had a friend for life then. She had actually smiled at the compliment before catching herself. "Need I point out that I'm also female? You've done enough studying of Southland culture that it could not have escaped your attention that a female is far more rare in the upper castes than a bounty hunter. I put on a dress, I get attention. Period."

  In the end, Kenti saw her point of view. He wasn't comfortable with it, but staying in their hunting gear was the best option. Besides, he saw a change come over Scarab when she put it on. It was as if all the years of soft living as a wife and mother melted away. He was certain he would have liked her on his team permanently. He'd make the offer when they were finished, but he doubted she'd accept. The past two rest periods when she thought everyone was asleep, he could hear her sniff quietly as she sat watch. It was clear which life she wanted, no matter how good she was in the field. It was disappointing, but Kenti couldn't blame her.

  They made their way to the caves. They had ditched their transport at the last outpost before the vegetable farms. Every transport people used in the cultured sectors ran on the invisible magnetic grid while theirs ran on old fashioned tires and smelly gasoline. They would have made much better time in the vehicle, but couldn't take that much of a risk. Scarab pushed them hard, and they were already to the corn sectors. Kenti was impressed, both with her determination and the grit of his team. He told them so when they reached the cave.

  Scarab let them have their praise for only a moment before raining on their parade. "We'll be there tonight if we don't dally. Get a four hour break. We'll head out around sundown."

  Kenti almost said something. There was a fine line between pushing people to be the best, and pushing them too far. But the closer they got to her husband and child, the colder Scarab became. In the end, he knew his people could see that as well and wouldn't take it personally. He confirmed the order and they hastily gobbled some protein cubes before lying down.

  Scarab stood at the mouth of the cave and stared out into the hot afternoon. It seemed she was always watching and waiting these days when all she wanted to do was run. She let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of her neck.

  "You should sleep as well," Kenti said coming up behind her.

  "I'll sleep when I have them back." It was the same thing she said to him when they broke for the night, and she saw the worried look on his face. "I used to run for days straight, Kenti. Do you think I'd risk getting sloppy when we're so close? Trust me, I know my limits."

  Kenti sighed. "I'm not your enemy, here."

  Scarab struggled not to feel bad. "I know."

  "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

  "And you can kill more people with a bomb than a knife."

  Kenti frowned, then laughed. "And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

  "Sometimes you have to be loud and brash to get the job done. I can't tiptoe around peoples' feelings right now."

  Kenti tipped his head. "I can respect that. I've been an agent for a long time. I get that there's a line in the sand you can't cross." He pointed his thumb behind him to his sleeping team. "But, if you carry it too far, they aren't going to want to pull your ass out of the fire."

  Scarab sighed and turned away. "It's their job."

  "And they'll do it better if they like you."

  Though Scarab knew what he was saying and agreed on one level, she would not give in. It wasn't for them. It was for herself. Yet, how could she possibly explain? Tenet would understand. He would get it. The sudden thought of him sent a ripple of pain through her and she forced herself to push it back. It made her voice even colder when she spoke. "If that's true, then they aren't very good agents, are they?"

  Kenti swore and shook his head. There was no reasoning with her. He'd have to do damage control on his own with his team later. He gave up and went to bed.

  Scarab balled her fist up and smacked it against the rock wall to take her mind off the sudden well of emotion that threatened to break her resolve. She took a deep breath, trying to get thoughts of Tenet out of her mind. Violet's face flashed before her, and she pounded the wall harder. Concentrate on the pain in the hand, she told herself. Forget the tightness in the chest. There was Wren to worry about. Was he accepted? Did they buy his routine? And Takar, so lost and yet so determined. Young Lendyl, he'd soon face a war against machines and he was barely old enough to have a full beard! And why? Why? Because she never cleaned up the problem in the first place. She slammed her hand in the wall again and cursed Kenti for pressing the issue, for bringing them all up. There were too many people to worry about. It was so much easier alone. When had so many people become important to her? And now, Kenti was asking her to take on more?

  Scarab couldn't stay in the cave. She had to move. She had to get some distance. She stepped out into the burning sun and tilted her head up, remembering all the hard, lonely Summers of her hunting days. She climbed to the top of the rocky outcropping and stared at the land around her. Corn fields stretched for miles around. Half harvested by now, there were whole rows of nakedness that stretched to the horizon where nothing moved at all. Stark, empty stalks, no more than broken nubs drying in the early Summer sun. The dirt was already cracking on those rows. Soon the rest of the green would be gone. Soon the other stalks would be nothing more than memories. Soon the automatic harvesters would be shut down and the only living things would be scrambling away for the season to leave nothing but barren fields of ash behind. She wished for that w
eather. She wished she was down in the sector in High Summer like before. It would be so much easier to forget and pretend with nothing but hot wind around her.

  Scarab sat down on the rock. She had no Summer suit. Not only was that almost an impossible get for the Borderlands agents, but it wasn't yet time for hunters to be wearing them. She would have stuck out like a sore thumb if she had donned the protective gear so early in the season. In her common clothing, she could feel the heat of the rock through her pants. The heat was just to the point of discomfort without being dangerous, and she concentrated on that sensation. Her hand throbbed and she looked down, not surprised to see the knuckles scuffed and already purpling with bruises. She flexed her fingers and winced at the pain, then did it again. She concentrated on the heat and the pain and the silence, and let everything else melt away.

  Hours later and feeling more secure, she entered the cave and woke the team. "We're getting close. We'll be to the Hacienda tonight."

  The Hacienda was the hotel they'd be staying in. It was a middle class establishment that catered to the seedier side of the caste. The hotel rented out rooms by the hour and didn't scan for identification, the ideal place to have affairs and make less-than-legal business deals while maintaining an appearance of decorum. It wasn't the kind of place a hunter would normally stay, but it wasn't so unheard of as to raise suspicions. The odds of Scarab running into anyone from her old life there were very slim, and it was close to the Bradwin estates. It would serve as their base of operations, and Scarab was eager to get there. The sooner they could get to the Hacienda, the sooner she would be on her own.

  "Keep your eyes up. Look mean," she told them as they geared up. "We'll be running into crowds the closer we get. Just keep looking straight ahead as if you don't have a care in the world. You have to be cocky and rude. Do not look down. A hunter never would. If someone stares at you, stare them right in the eye like you want to kill them. That's the only way we're going to sell this."

  They headed out into the cooler evening air and made excellent time. As Scarab said, they passed more and more people the closer they got to the city, and they all did admirably at staring anyone who dared to look them in the eye down. Scarab was proud of them when they made a troop of soldiers uncomfortable, and she walked with even more confidence into the Hacienda.

  "We need three rooms," she said to the man behind the desk.

  "Name?"

  Scarab snorted. "Since when do you take names?"

  "Since the city's on lock down." He shook his head. "You been in a cave all week or what?"

  It was so close to the truth that Scarab almost laughed. "We've been rolling in from the outposts for the season. Not much news up that way."

  He leaned forward. "The Bradwin brat's back. With a kid!"

  Scarab kept her features bland. "And that affects me exactly how?"

  The man frowned. "You don't care?"

  "Look, kid," she said, even though the man had to be at least ten years older than her. "I didn't care when he left, I don't care if he's back."

  He held up his hands. "Hey, you asked."

  "What I want to know is what the hell this has to do with me getting a room." She pulled out a bank card and slapped it on the desk. "Take my money, give me a key card." Kenti was impressed with her balls. He wondered if he'd be able to pull off that attitude himself in her shoes.

  The man behind the desk gave a fake smile. "Gladly! Name?"

  Scarab leaned forward. "Bounty hunter with an itchy trigger finger."

  The man looked scared and tapped his fingers on the desk for a second before snatching up the bank card and swiping it through his register. There was more than enough money in the account for the rooms for as long as they wanted to stay and he suddenly had a thought. He leaned in. "Look," he whispered conspiratorially. "Perhaps we've gotten off on the wrong foot. What say for fifty credits I enter you as Mrs. Cordelia Smatty. We'll say you're having a family reunion."

  Scarab plastered a fake smile on her face. "I haven't seen them in ages. Should be fun."

  "But I'm warning you," he said, turning serious. "I won't be on the chopping block, okay? Anyone comes sniffing around for some bounty hunters, I won't cover for you."

  To Kenti's surprise, Scarab agreed. "Fair enough." She leaned on the desk and looked around the lobby, glaring at a male prostitute who was giving her the eye. He looked away and Scarab gave a little chuckle. The man behind the desk entered the information into his dock.

  "How long will you be staying?"

  "Till we get jobs."

  His fingers stopped on the keys. "I have to have a number of days."

  "Season opens in what? Six days? Put that." Kenti quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. If everything went well, they wouldn't need half as many days.

  "I assume you're prepaying?"

  "But of course," Scarab said dryly, knowing full well any difference would be going in the man's pocket instead of the hotel's till. It didn't matter. She'd find a way to pay back the team that obviously worked hard to scrape up the credits in the account. After another moment, the man handed over two key cards. "I said three rooms."

  The man looked at her like she lost her mind. "Hello, it's the height of ball season in a town turned upside down with the news story of the century. You're lucky I have anything open at all!"

  Scarab knew arguing was pointless. She took the cards and dismissed the bot that appeared for their luggage. Like all hunters, they traveled only with one pack on each of their backs and would never let them out of their sight. To allow a bot to carry their supplies would have been out of character. The bot hovered for a moment before Scarab gave the dismissal command a second time. It turned and floated away and Scarab lead the group up the stairs of the hotel to their rooms.

  "Nice work back there," Kenti said when they were finally in their rooms.

  "I would bet money on it that if we're not being monitored already, we will be," Scarab said very quietly as she pulled out the special unitool Weevil had given her. She put her finger to her lips and began to scan the room looking for any electrical signature that would indicate a listening device. She found a standard one attached to the lines of the com dock on the desk, but no others. She went into the second room and did the same scan, then broadened the scope of the infrared scanner. The hotel was clean, at least for the time being, and she told her team as much as they gathered in Scarab's room.

  "For now," Kenti said.

  Scarab nodded. "Bradwin's a conceited ass. If we're lucky, he's cocky enough to think his show of force will be enough to stop someone."

  "We can't plan for that," Kent said with concern.

  Scarab sighed. "I'm not. I'm just saying, until you've dealt with him, you can't believe the level of ego on that man. I bet right now he's got himself convinced Tenet's return was somehow his doing."

  Kenti saw her point. From what he'd learned about Southland and New Canada, it certainly fit. "We'll know more when I get an update from our people on site."

  Scarab shook her head. "I'm not comfortable with that."

  "You'd rather go in blind?"

  "Of course not," she snapped. "But I think the risk is greater if anyone in there tries to contact anyone out here."

  "Like I've told you, we got this. This isn't our first day on the job, you know." He shot her a look meant to embarrass her at the insult. Instead it only seemed to annoy her. "Come on, Scarab. You have to trust us. We're using such old tech that I guarantee they won't detect it. They haven't yet."

  Scarab knew he was correct. As much as she hated to admit it, she could not simply go in there blind. That would be far more dangerous than risking a transmission. "If they're discovered, then all of this is for nothing."

  "And if you try charging in there half-cocked, then you will fail. I know you want them back. I know it's killing you to be this close and still so far away."

  Scarab saw the sympathy in his eyes, in the eyes of the other intentionally nameless
agents, and she felt a flare of anger course through her. No. She could take angry words and barked orders. She could handle cold shoulders and vicious looks. But she would not tolerate sympathy. She nodded her head quickly then turned from them. "Leave my room. I need to prepare. Let me know as soon as you receive a transmission."

  Kenti saw his people bristle again and knew he'd have to smooth things over. He sighed and motioned them out the door to the other room. "Cut her slack," he said to them over their harsh words. "Put yourself in her shoes."

  One of the agents scoffed. "I'll never be in her shoes."

  "Exactly. Not one of us has a spouse or child. Imagine what that's doing to her. Now, let's do what we can to help, okay?"

  Scarab showered and changed clothing, washing off the grime of the trip and giving herself something to do to keep her mind off of the fact that she was only two miles away from everything that mattered to her. She combed her hair into a more Southland friendly style, then looked out the window at the city she had always hated. She watched the people bustle around as if their pathetic little lives mattered until the anxiety and frustration made her begin to pace. She felt like a caged animal. On a good day she hated waiting. But as stressed as she was, as tense and nervous, the seconds ticked by like blows from a hammer. By the time Kenti finally returned over an hour later with news, she was ready to snap.

  "Well?" she demanded as soon as he entered the room.

  "Tonight is some ball. Bradwin and the missus are attending, but no provisions for any of the other family members have been made. Looks like a press op more than anything."

  Scarab's heart soared. "They'll be in the manor alone?"

  Kenti snorted. "Hardly." He shook his head. "Look, I hate to bring bad news..."

  "So don't," Scarab warned.

  Kenti actually shivered. "They're far better prepared than we thought. Not only do they have the electro perimeters we figured on, but they've got tons of human guards as well."

  Scarab took a breath. "Okay. More difficult, I'll admit..."

  "And bots, Scarab."

  Scarab stopped talking and looked at Kenti. He was serious. "Summer bots?" she asked, even though the look on his face told her everything she needed to know. She shook her head. "No way. There's no way that kind of bot could be allowed around the other people."

  "We didn't think so either, but they are. They're out every night scanning the grounds."

  Scarab frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "How? They can't differentiate between good and bad. They're just mindless killing machines."

  He shrugged. "I don't know. They must have honed the tech."

  "Shit." It was a game changer for sure.

  "I think we need to contact Krupkie and see if we can come up with..."

  "We stick with the plan," Scarab said quickly, cutting him off.

  Kenti's eyes went wide. "No."

  But Scarab's mind was already racing. "I'll watch them. I'll find a position high up and watch their sweep pattern."

  "Scarab, no. We don't know what they're capable of. We don't even know how they target, or..." his voice trailed off. He saw the look in her eyes and felt the dread gathering in the pit of his stomach. "It's suicide!"

  Scarab didn't need the man or his team. She was certain she could do it herself if she absolutely had to. But things would be much easier on them all with their help, and she didn't want the team to abandon her and her family. "Have you ever held your child to you, Kenti?"

  The question threw him for a loop and he blinked for a second struggling to shift mental gears. "Uh, no. I don't have a child. We're not allowed to have a family while on active duty."

  "And why is that?"

  "Because if we did, we'd make stupid decisions because of our emotions."

  Scarab nodded. "That's the theory, sure. But what if you made better decisions because so much was on the line?"

  Kenti saw what she was doing. "Oh, no. Nope. There's no way you're getting my approval here."

  "I don't need your approval. I'm asking for your understanding." She pointed to the window. "Two miles away, Kenti. That's it. And Bradwin actually thinks a few hunks of metal and some invisible gates can keep me away." She swallowed hard. "I hunted for fourteen seasons, both Winter and Summer. And not once did I have a solid plan. Do you know why? Because things change like that." She snapped her fingers. "Okay, so things aren't how you planned. That's fine. Have you watched wraiths tear people apart in front of you and had to scramble to make it out alive?"

  Kenti crossed his arms over his chest, torn between admiration for her low tactics, and his own stubborn determination. "This is hardly the same thing."

  "It's exactly the same thing! I didn't lose a single bounty. Not one. I got not only myself out of the scrapes, but the bounties as well. You think that happens on accident? No. That happens because I can reevaluate on the fly to keep them alive. And they all meant shit to me. You don't think I can watch a few bots and make a plan to save the people I love?"

  It went against protocol. Krupkie would be furious. Hell, even if everything went well and they made it to the border safe and secure with Tenet and baby in tow he'd probably have to answer for his actions. He swore softly. "I can't condone this."

  "Then don't. Krupkie knows I'm a loose cannon already."

  Kenti fought with himself for a minute before swearing again and leaving the room. Scarab stared after him and was about to follow when he returned with some sort of device. "This is an old communicator called a walkie talkie." He handed it over to Scarab. "It uses radio waves to transmit sound, if you can believe it. You press that button there and talk, then let go of the button and I'll answer. I swear to God Himself that if you don't tell Krupkie that you stole it and headed out without permission, I'll hunt you down and..."

  Scarab flashed him a grin that stopped him in his tracks.

  "Oh, God," he moaned. "I'm a dead man."

  "How far can I use this?"

  "A few miles. Don't worry about it. We'll be close enough for it to reach me even if you have to go around and approach from the south." He sighed heavily, and Scarab almost felt bad for the position she was putting him in. "At least promise me you'll call for help if you need it."

  Scarab nodded, even though they both knew it was a hollow promise. "What will you tell the others?"

  "That you're a bitch who wants to work on her own. They already think that anyway."

  "Good," she said, not the least bit offended. "I'll make it up to them when we're home." Scarab put her pack on and secured the walkie talkie to her belt.

  "You're going right now?"

  "Of course."

  "Of course," Kenti repeated, feeling defeat. "You remember the meeting point?"

  Scarab gave him a quick nod, then left him standing alone in her room. She heard him swear and kick something and she smiled to herself. He did a good job getting them there. Now, it was her turn.